Bing vs Google: Where Should You Target Your SEO?

Bing vs Google: Where Should You Target Your SEO?Ben Cope2016-06-22T09:13:44+00:00

Google and Bing are both popular search engines and you may wonder if one is more important than the other. Let’s take a look at Bing and how it compares with Google.

For many people, Google is the dominant search engine and nothing else matters. And that’s rightfully so; we have come to know Google as the authority when it comes to search engines and rankings for SEO. But this might be a good time to wonder just how important Bing has become in recent years, especially in 2016.

There have been many interesting developments over the last few years. For one, Apple has decided to Partner with Microsoft instead of Google for Siri. Bing advertisers are also now integrated into the search function of Windows 8.1. So what does this mean? Is Bing really becoming that big?

Google wants to remain the top search engine worldwide and that’s quite a challenge to do. Especially if you look at competitors such as Bing, that really came a very long way recently. Businesses need to ask themselves how they can maximise their results with search engine marketing, and how they can reach customers on more than one search engine.

Google currently has around 88% market share globally. This is one reason why they come up top when SEOs discuss marketing strategies and rankings. No matter how many times the search market changes, Google still seems to get ahead. That’s why people tend to only focus on Google and forget that focusing on Bing and other search engines can still contribute to their SEO success.

People often believe that if you rank well in Google you will automatically rank well in Bing too. But is that really accurate? Not necessarily. There are a few fundamental differences in how Google and Bing determine their results respectively. Each has their own unique way of choosing the best results that they feel will be relevant to their search users.

About Bing

Bing launched in 2009 and has become one of the fastest growing search engines in the world. It already has more than 7% market share; that might not sound like much but it’s a huge leap forward.

Bing is similar to Google in a few ways.

Your link profile and page rank are both very important factors for SEO.

They both offer local optimisation based on your geographic location.

You can get paid search results with both search engines, to increase your online visibility.

But there are also a few differences between the two, which should be noted. For example, where Google is good at matching certain keyword phrases based on what you’ve searched for, Bing is better utilised using exact search phrases.

If you search for something that may have two meanings, Google will show you the one that is most popular. Bing will show local results first. Unlike Google, Bing puts a lot of value on the age of a domain.

How do they differ?

Although they have many similarities, there are differences between the two search engines. Here are a few more ways in which Google and Bing differ in terms of rankings and results.

Google will acknowledge forums as long as they provide valuable information. Bing, on the other hand, does not like forums at all. It is estimated that around 90% of forum results show up much further down on Bing’s search engine results.

Google cares more about your link profile than the age of your domain. Although your domain age plays a role, it’s quite minimal in comparison to other algorithm requirements. Bing places value on your domain age, regardless of your link profile. Bing also gives preference to websites with a .gov or a .edu extension.

These differences are the ones that will likely have an effect on your website’s listing. Make sure that you know the basic similarities and differences between both so that you can utilize each to the best of your abilities and rank your business well on both search engines.

Another popular difference between Google and Bing is that Google tends to focus more on newer, trendy websites within results. Bing, on the other hand, focuses more on older websites with official domain names. As mentioned, they often feature .edu or .gov websites.

One significant difference between Google and Bing is how it handles social media integration. If one of your Facebook friends recommended a product or written a review about something you are now searching for, it will show up in search results almost immediately. Google is still a bit slower with the integration of social media into its search results.

That’s one of the reasons why you should not overlook Bing. Especially since social is fast becoming one of the most widely used platforms online.

So what should a marketer do?

Google is currently dominating the world of search. As such, any SEO or marketer should focus on Google and ranking well within search results. Focus on Google first since it still remains a powerful engine. You can compare your results in Bing – you may be surprised with the results.

When it comes to choosing keywords for your on-page SEO and meta information, focus on exact keywords and long-tail keywords, to satisfy both Bing and Google. Once you’ve created the content you need, you have to optimise your website on both Google and Bing to give your audience a chance to find your website, products, and services in as many ways as possible.

Regardless on which search engine you want to focus on, always make sure that you have the right content to market. The Content Works provides valuable, optimised content for your unique SEO needs.

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